At the request of the European Parliament — one of the few legislative bodies that’s shown any serious concern about the massive surveillance programs run by the US, UK and others — Edward Snowden sent in written testimony that is well worth reading. Here’s a key paragraph:

I believe that suspicionless surveillance not only fails to make us safe, but it actually makes us less safe. By squandering precious, limited resources on “collecting it all,” we end up with more analysts trying to make sense of harmless political dissent and fewer investigators running down real leads. I believe investing in mass surveillance at the expense of traditional, proven methods can cost lives, and history has shown my concerns are justified.